The present invention relates to female electrical terminal fitting.
A female terminal fitting is provided with an angular tubular-shaped fitting member into which a tab of a corresponding male terminal fitting can be inserted, and with a resilient contacting member which protrudes into the fitting member in a bent-over shape from an anterior end of a base wall of this fitting member, this resilient contacting member making resilient contact with the male tab. Different female terminal fittings are provided with differing means to prevent the resilient contacting member from bending excessively. An example of one of these means is described in JP-9-35796.
As shown in FIG. 8 of this specification, a female terminal fitting is provided with: an angular tubular-shaped fitting member 101 into which a tab (not shown) of a male terminal fitting can be inserted: a resilient contacting member 102 which extends within the fitting member 101 in the direction of insertion of the tab (the left-right direction in FIG. 8) and which is capable of bending resiliently as the tab is inserted into the fitting member 101, thereby making contact with the tab; and two bending regulating members 104 and 105, these bending regulating members 104 and 105 being formed by cutting away a base wall 103 of the fitting member 101. When the resilient contacting member 102 is at the point of bending excessively, a lower face of this resilient contacting member 102 makes contact with one or both of the two bending regulating members 104 and 105, thereby preventing the resilient contacting member 102 from bending excessively.
In the conventional female terminal fitting, both of the bending regulating members 104 and 105 are formed on the base wall 103. Consequently, the area of an opening 106 formed by the cutting away of the bending regulating members 104 and 105 is large, and the base wall 103 is weakened.
The present invention has taken the above problem into account, and aims to present a female terminal fitting wherein the wall member of the fitting member is not weakened as a result of cutting away bending regulating members therefrom, these bending regulating members preventing the excessive bending of the resilient contacting member.
According to the invention, there is provided a female terminal fitting comprising an elongate box-like body of sheet metal and having an open end adapted to receive a tab of a male terminal fitting in a fitting direction, the body having a resilient contacting member extending in the fitting direction, and in use bending resiliently on contact with a male tab, the female fitting further comprising bending regulating members part sheared from said body and underlying said contacting member to prevent excessive bending thereof, characterized in that said bending regulating members are formed from two or more different walls of said body. Such an arrangement reduces the weakening of the body as a result of forming all bending regulating members in the same side wall.
In the preferred embodiment the contacting member has a pent shape with a contact defined at the apex for making electrical contact with a male terminal tab. Two regulating members preferably project towards each other from opposite side walls and present aligned planar faces for contact with the underside of said contacting member. The apertures corresponding to these regulating members are preferably arranged to permit viewing of the contacting member therethrough.
A regulating member preferably protrudes towards the underside of the contacting member at right angles, and a window is preferably formed in a side wall of the body through which this regulating member may be inspected.
In a preferred embodiment, the mouth of the body has inturned portions which narrow the mouth and regulate the width thereof for receiving a male tab.